Dwight Gayle, Newcastle’s top goalscorer of 2016/17 season. But the question remains, is he good enough for the Premier League?

In July 2016 Dwight Gayle signed for Newcastle from Crystal Palace, instantly becoming known by bagging the famous number nine shirt which was up for grabs after Newcastle striker Papiss Cissé left to go to Chinese club Shandong Luneng. Once the season started Dwight got off to a good start, by mid-season Gayle bagged himself a whopping 17 goals in just 19 appearances. By the end of the season he managed to score 23 goals in 30 appearances for the club in 2016/17 Championship season, being a vital part in the Toon winning the Championship also bagging himself PFA fans’ Championship player of the season award and being part of the EFL Championship PFA team of the year along side team mates Jamaal Lascelles and Jonjo Shelvey.

However at Crystal Palace Gayle only managed to score 15 goals in 64 appearances, Which leads many people to question whether he’s good enough to play in the Premier League. With the Premier League season less than two months away Newcastle need to decide if Gayle can continue scoring game after game or if he isn’t good enough and sell him.

My Thoughts

Gayle’s goal tally in the Premier League isn’t the greatest, However in my opinion it all depends on the players around you. With his pace and the help from Shelvey’s long balls I believe Gayle will fit perfectly into the BPL. I think he should be given a chance to prove himself in the Premier League, also another striker to help him out. I don’t think Gayle is going anywhere anytime soon, and the only way to know if he is ready is when the 2017/18 season starts. Although the Championship is a very different style of football to the Premier League I believe Dwight can adapt to the change and yet again become Newcastle’s top goal scorer of the season, helping the Toon avoid the drop zone.